Vegetarian Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce

posted by Kalyn Denny on December 10, 2012

Vegetarian Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce is a layered casserole with brown rice, broccoli, a creamy curry sauce, and just enough cheese to make it good! Use Casserole Recipes to find more tasty casseroles!

Now that I’ve officially been given the title of Casserole Queen, it seemed fun to challenge myself with creating more meatless casseroles. This Vegetarian Curried Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce is an idea that just popped into my head one day, although it’s definitely a riff on the Better-than-Mom’s Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce that I made nearly two years ago. Once I had the idea in mind, it actually took Jake and I three tries to get this one just right (although we happily gobbled up the first two tries as well.)

If you’re looking for a new dinner idea for Meatless Monday, I think most family members will like this one, as long as they like broccoli. I kept the curry flavor mild with the idea that kids could enjoy this, but if you like spicy curries you can increase the heat, or even use all hot curry powder.

We increased the amount of broccoli each time we tested the recipe, and the final version calls for 8 cups of small broccoli flowerets. Cook the broccoli in boiling salted water for exactly two minutes, and then drain it into a colander placed in the sink. While the broccoli cooks, saute the onion in a little olive oil until it starts to brown; then add the sweet and hot curry powder and cook 2-3 minutes more. Mix in the cooked brown rice and stir to get the curry flavor distributed and cook long enough to heat the rice. Whisk together the sour cream, mayo, mayo, lemon juice, and sweet curry powder.

In an 8″ x 8″ casserole dish with high sides, start with a layer of half the rice. Then put half the blanched broccoli. Spread over half the curry sauce.

Top with half the cheese.Then make another layer of each of rice, broccoli, sauce, and cheese. Bake at 375F/190C for about 30 minutes, or until casserole is slightly bubbling and lightly browned on top.

1/2 tsp hot curry powder (sometimes called Madras curry powder; you can skip this if cooking for kids or increase for a spicier dish)

1/2 tsp. sea salt salt

1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, but good)

1 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella

Sauce Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used my frozen lemon juice)

1 1/2 tsp. sweet curry powder

Directions:

Cook brown rice according to package directions or using a rice cooker to get 4 cups cooked brown rice.

When rice is nearly done, cut broccoli into small flowerets to get 8 cups broccoli. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add about 1 tsp. salt, and cook the broccoli exactly 2 minutes. Drain broccoli into a colander placed in the sink.

Preheat oven to 375F/190C.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the onion, and saute over medium-high heat until onion is starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet and hot curry powder and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add the cooked rice and stir to coat with the oil and curry powder, then cook a couple of minutes to to heat the rice (if needed.)

Whisk together sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, and sweet curry powder to make the sauce.

Spray an 8″ x 8″ glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (I used my new favorite casserole dish; if you don’t have a dish that’s this deep, use a slightly larger one.)

Make layers with half the rice mixture, half the broccoli, half the curry sauce, and half the cheese, spreading out to make an even layer with each ingredient. Make a second layer each of rice mixture, broccoli, curry sauce, and cheese.

Bake the casserole about 30 minutes, or until casserole is starting to bubble and the cheese is lightly browned on top. Serve hot. I am guessing this freezes well, although I haven’t tried freezing it yet.

Notes:

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you make this Vegetarian Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce with brown rice, a generous amount of broccoli, and reduced fat sour cream, mayo, and cheese that will make this recipe suitable for Phase 2 or 3 of the South Beach Diet. However, if you’re actively trying to lose weight, you might consider this to be a “once in a while-treat.” You could make a lower-carb version of this using less rice and more broccoli and cheese, and you may wish to use full-fat cheese and sour cream if you’re not following South Beach, but you’d probably need to switch the rice for cauliflower rice to make this suitable for most low-carb diet plans.

Nutritional Information?
If you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you’re a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

I have to tell you – you just brought back a pregnancy craving I'd thought I forgot about. I loooove broccoli rice casserole and ate so much of it when I was pregnant with Leah. This recipe looks so good!

I brought this to a family gathering today, and it was very well-received. Most had seconds, and there was (sadly) very little leftover to bring home. I did substitute fat-free Greek yogurt for the sour cream, as I do in all my recipes now. I like the tartness that the yogurt adds. Next time I'll find a hotter curry powder, as mine wasn't hot enough for my taste, although it was probably perfect for a group. Love the recipe, and will definitely make it again! Thanks Kalyn!!

This was so delicious!!! Funny, you are right about the leftovers – there are none!

I used half sour cream and half greek yogurt (just bc I ran out of sour cream), also used a vegan mayonaise. Next time I might just use all yogurt. No idea how you fit it in an 8×8 pan, I used a 7×11 and it was filled to the top!

I didn't make for any kids but I'm sure this would be a sure kid-pleaser.

Yes, I am sure you can but I haven’t tried that yet so I couldn’t give instructions on how to adapt. Generally the only problem with subbing cauliflower rice is that it doesn’t absorb liquid like rice does, so be sure your broccoli is VERY well drained. If you have some in the fridge I might add 1/2 cup softened cream cheese to replace some of the sour cream. Would love to hear how it works if you try it!